


Intlungu

by thorbiased



Category: Black Panther (2018), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Grief, Shared Grief, Shuri needs a hug, Thor (Marvel) Needs a Hug, sibling relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-26
Updated: 2018-08-26
Packaged: 2019-07-03 00:18:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15807483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thorbiased/pseuds/thorbiased
Summary: Intlungu - Xhosa for “grief”Shuri sighs and sits back down on the ground, then peers up at Thor. "You're welcome to join me. We can grieve together."Thor considers her offer. The young princess, innocent. The old god, hands stained with blood of countless enemies. Both of them in the same terrible situation. He takes a seat and crosses his legs.





	Intlungu

**Author's Note:**

> First of all, I want to make it explicitly clear that nothing about this is romantic. Understood? Okay. Now, I’ve had this unfinished for a while and just got the inspiration to finish it. I hope you enjoy, and if you do, please leave a comment and kudos !

A blanket of stars and a full moon bathes the savannah in a soft glow. Various night animals chirp and hoot, but the calm is pierced by sadness. Nestled in the tall grass rest two grieving siblings, neither of them aware of the other, hidden by the night and camouflaged by the African plain. 

Shuri lies on her side, running her fingers over the dirt, drawing circles in the earth. Tears spill down her cheeks, making mud of the soil under her head. She hadn't been able to sleep for days. She'd tried biding her time in her lab, but the stark white walls were stained with memories of her brother, so she'd taken to coming out here and finding solace in her home. It doesn't feel real yet, and she wonders if it ever will. Her brother, her protector, her best friend was gone. A choked sob escapes her throat at the thought of never making fun of him again or spending the day experimenting with him in her lab. Did he know how much she adored him? How much she wanted to be just like him? 

Shuri rolls over on her back and stares up at the stars, mapping the constellations that T'Challa had taught her all about. Her eyes drift shut and she can see T'Challa's hand blocking out a few stars to show her the constellations. Shuri presses her palms to her face and lets out another sob. 

She knows what it feels like to have her heart break. She felt it when her father died, she felt it when she watched T'Challa go over that cliff. She feels it now. Deep in her bones, in the very cells of her heart. Grief had a way of penetrating deep inside of someone. 

Only a few feet away, Thor sits on his knees, his feet tucked under him and his hands resting on his knees. He takes a deep breath, holding back tears. He'd been burying his emotions for so long, focusing on killing Thanos and getting revenge for the deaths of Loki and Heimdall, but now that there was nothing he could do, there was nothing to distract him from his grief. His whole body shakes from the strain of holding himself together, so he breaks. 

Thor presses a hand to his mouth, muffling the sobs that escape. Tears stream from both eyes, and he hurries to wipe them away. The light of the moon fades and he looks up to see that clouds have gathered in the sky. Something glows beneath him. His hands spark. The pain in his chest spreads and he sobs again. Before he can stop it, lighting strikes the ground beside him, branching out from his hands and lighting up the savannah. 

Someone shrieks, and Thor jumps to his feet, his fists clenched. He stands, battle-ready, looking for signs of the other person. Lightning dances across his skin, letting him see in the twilight around him. There, only her head visible above the grass, sits Princess Shuri, her eyes red and glistening. 

"Your highness," Thor says, bowing his head. The lightning running over him disappears. "I didn't...I didn't mean to scare you."

Shuri pushes herself off the ground and brushes off her pajama pants. "No, no. You're okay."

They stand in awkward silence. Thor stares at the ground, sniffling. Shuri wraps her arms around her middle, wishing her arms were T’Challa’s. She looks up at the god, wondering what he was he doing out here. Then she realizes what that lightning meant, notices the way his eyes glisten, how his whole body is tense with the strain of keeping it together. 

"You lost someone," she says with certainty. 

Thor nods. "I did," he tells her. "My brother."

"Me too," she says. Shuri sighs and sits back down on the ground, then peers up at Thor. "You're welcome to join me. We can grieve together."

Thor considers her offer. The young princess, innocent. The old god, hands stained with blood of countless enemies. Both of them in the same terrible situation. He takes a seat and crosses his legs. 

Shuri smiles at him. "You're so big," she says with a giggle. 

Thor looks down on her and chuckles. He towers nearly two feet over the young princess. "Maybe you're just small," he teases. A vague memory surfaces, of Thor teasing Loki with the same statement. Sadness stabs his chest. 

The royals sit in silence for a long while, the warm air of the savannah settling over them, both of them lost in their own thoughts. Shuri, wishing she had been there with T'Challa during his final moments. Thor relieving Loki's. 

"I didn't know your brother," he tells Shuri when the silence becomes too much to bear, and he can't stand the sight of his little brother's dead body anymore. 

Shuri sniffs. "Oh, lucky you," she quips. She wipes her eyes. "You would've liked him, I think. He was so kind. And strong." She trails off, her voice catching. She pulls her knees close to her chest. "Everyone knew your brother," she counters. 

Thor laughs softly. "Well," he says sheepishly. He sighs and turns his eyes to the sky. "My brother did some horrible things, but he is my brother. Was.”

Shuri glances down at her lap. Her lip trembles and before she can even try and stop, she’s sobbing. “I want him back,” she cries, “I want him back so much that I feel like my heart is going to burst.”

A lump rises in Thor’s throat, and more tears stream down his cheeks. He wipes one away. “Your highness,” he says. His voice breaks on her title as another tear falls. He can’t even finish his sentence. 

Shuri falls against his chest, her small body trembling. Thor pulls her close, rubs circles on her back. He makes a silent vow in that moment to protect the little princess with his life, if it comes to that. 

Shuri cries until Thor’s shirt is soaked through with tears. Even when her sobbing has ceased, she doesn’t move. The god is warm and sturdy and reminds her of her brother, so she stays in his embrace. Her eyelids grow heavy after a while, but she never makes the effort to get up. It’s very un-princess-like, to be sitting out in the dirt, sobbing in the arms of a man she barely knows. 

“It is very late, Shuri,” Thor whispers. 

“Mhmm,” she mumbles against his chest. She’s nearly asleep now, teetering on the edge of consciousness, and entirely out of it. 

Thor chuckles fondly and lifts her into his arms. “You remind me of my brother, Shuri,” he says as he stands. He adjusts his grip so she’s more comfortable, and starts back towards the glowing palace in the distance. 

Shuri finds sleep again, lulled by the deep rumble of Thor’s voice in his chest. He tells her stories of his brother on the way back, happy ones. Ones that make a bittersweet smile find his lips instead of a frown. 

“Once, he turned me into a frog,” he whispers, when the light of the palace bathes them both in gold. He walks in through the front gate without issue. The Dora Milaje that guard it see their sleeping princess in his arms and don’t ask questions. 

The courtyard is empty save for a few more Doras patrolling the grounds. More would have been there, had it been a week earlier. Thor keeps strolling, telling the tale of his amphibious escapades, until he reaches the doors. Another Dora waits there, her gaze fierce and protective. 

“The princess? Is she injured?” she asks. 

“She is sleeping,” Thor assures her in a low voice. “Where are her chambers?”

The warrior furrows her brows. “I will escort you,” she says. Thor realizes that she does not trust him, and he can’t say he blames her. The people of Wakanda had been generous enough, but the queen had made it clear that there would be those who didn’t approve of the Avengers’ presence in their home. 

Thor nods and smiles. “Of course,” he says. 

The guard leads Thor through the gorgeous hallways of the Wakandan palace. He finds himself admiring the artwork and the architecture, so different than Asgard but beautiful just the same. They reach a sleek glass elevator and step in. 

“Where did you find her?” the guard asks, one eyebrow raised in question. 

Thor swallows thickly. He isn’t sure if Shuri would appreciate her secrets being told, but he didn’t want to lie. “Um, she was out in the savannah, just as I was. She was crying...”

“Say no more,” the guard says, holding up her free hand. The one wrapped around her staff clenches in a fist around the handle. “I understand.”

Thor nods. He coughs once, and then they are silent for the rest of the ride. 

Shuri’s room is on the highest floor of the palace, next to her mother and brother’s. Thor carries the princess to her room, and the guard opens the door for him. The room is tidy and neat, and her bed is large and easy to spot even in the dark. He lays her down in the thick covers and tucks her in. She makes a little annoyed noise at being woken and her eyes flutter open. 

“Thor?” she asks. 

Thor smiles, rubbing her shoulder with his thumb. “Go to sleep, Shuri,” he says. When he looks at her, he doesn’t see the future queen of Wakanda. He sees a sleepy little girl who needs her big brother. “Sleep well.”


End file.
